Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Justis Huni set to miss chance for boxing gold medal due to injury

Justis Huni’s Olympic dream is all but over after the Aussie champ aggravated an existing injury in his win over Paul Gallen.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 16: Justis Huni punches Paul Gallen during their Australian heavyweight title fight during the Australian heavyweight title fight between Justis Huni and Paul Gallen at ICC Sydney on June 16, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Justis Huni’s team have defended the decision to fight Paul Gallen only weeks out from the Tokyo Olympics — and for a fraction of the NSW Origin great’s $1.5 million purse — despite it having cruelled his chances of winning heavyweight gold.

In a huge blow for one of Australia’s most exciting young fighters, promoter Dean Lonergan has revealed 22-year-old Huni will almost certainly be forced to withdraw from the Games after suffering a sagittal band tear, otherwise known as ‘Boxer’s Knuckle’, in his right hand.

So bad is the damage, Huni has not been able to close his power hand in the week since fighting Gallen.

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The undefeated heavyweight, who also has a less serious issue with his left thumb, is now expected to undergo surgery — with Lonergan conceding his client’s Olympic dream is “95 per cent over”.

Ironically, it was during several heated exchanges in their fight week press conferences where Gallen actually promised to end Huni’s Olympic dream, suggesting he would even break an arm on the fighter dubbed a genuine Olympic gold hopeful.

However after hearing the news Wednesday, the retired NRL star said he was “disappointed” for his rival.

Lonergan also revealed Huni initially suffered the injury while preparing for his May bout against Christian Tsoye, then aggravated it further during what would eventually be a comprehensive stoppage of Gallen over 10 rounds last Wednesday night.

While the Cronulla favourite reportedly cleared seven figures for the headliner, Huni’s purse is understood to have been around $300,000.

Lonergan defended the team’s decision to have the Olympic hopeful compete weeks out from his Tokyo tilt however, insisting that all five professional fights Huni has taken since last October, when he claimed the Australian heavyweight title from Faiga Opelu on debut, were crucial for his medal preparations.

Justis Huni won’t be heading to Tokyo as planned.

“The reason Justis Huni turned professional was that he couldn’t get fights as an amateur,” the promoter explained. “And you can’t go to an Olympic Games without a fight in 18 months.

“Justis would’ve been no chance of doing anything if that were the case.

“So the decision made as a team was for him to turn professional and get some fights. Because the only way to get better as a fighter -- same as with rugby league, rugby union, basketball, whatever -- is to get out there and do it.

“But unfortunately when you fight, injuries can happen.”

Quizzed on how the injury occurred, Lonergan continued: “Two weeks before the Tsoye fight in sparring, one of the guys we were using had his elbows down to protect his body and Justis connected with it.

“That caused the injury we have now.

“It’s not an unusual injury. And it’s not unusual for fighters to have hand injuries, either.

“It’s just that sometimes you can fight through them, sometimes you can’t.”

Huni then carried the injury into the Gallen fight, where he did further damage to the knuckle.

It was only days out from that same headliner where Gallen had warned Huni: “I’m here to do everything I can to make sure that you don’t go to the Olympics.

“Whether it’s break your jaw, break your face, break your arm, I don’t care what it is ... that dream is going to be f...d”.

Gallen said Wednesday, however, that he was disappointed to hear the news.

“I obviously didn’t mean what I said before the fight,” he said. “He’s a good fella and I’m really disappointed for him.

“I was cheering for him to bring home a gold medal.”

Elsewhere, Huni’s manager Mick Francis said the team would now look at whether Olympic rules would allow Huni to keep fighting professionally and compete at the Paris Games in three years.

On the injury he added: “He’s split ligaments near his bones.

“They are saying it can be a six-month recovery after surgery and that will stuff everything. He’s having more scans tomorrow to confirm it.

“He’s got to pass a medical test to go to the Olympics which we’re not sure about.

“(But) there’s the Paris Olympics in three years’ time. He can save himself for Paris.”

NO MORE: HUNI CAMP FEARS FOR GALLEN’S HEALTH

Nick Campton

Justis Huni’s camp will urge Paul Gallen to not exercise his rematch clause for the rugby league legend’s own health in an effort to line up a blockbuster clash with Junior Fa on a Townsville card that will feature NRL stars Jason Taumalolo, Brandon Smith, Junior Paulo and Addin Fonua-Blake.

And Taumalolo has indicated he’s keen to follow in Gallen’s footsteps and take up boxing at the end of his NRL career.

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Paul Gallen (R) took a pounding at the hands of Justis Huni. Picture: Richard Dobson

Gallen would have had the right to claim a rematch after Huni’s abandoned Tokyo Olympic campaign but given the punishment Gallen endured in his ten-round TKO loss on Wednesday, Huni’s promoter Dean Lonergan will advise the former Sharks premiership captain not to tangle with Huni again.

“We will honour our contract with Gal if he wants to go again but all he’s going to do is get hurt,” Lonergan said.

“If he turns around in a month’s time and says he wants to, at the end of the day we will honour our contract.

“But the mantra I have with all my fighters, and Gal has one more fight with me if he wants it, is they come out of this game with me wealthy and healthy. There’s no point being wealthy if you’re not healthy.

Gallen was left battered and bruised by Huni on Wednesday night. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

“He took a massive battering on Wednesday night and I personally don’t want to see him go through that again because I have immense respect for the guy and I like him.

“He might want to fight again but under no circumstances should he fight Justis Huni again because the beating will be worse.”

Assuming he comes through the Olympics unscathed, Huni is being lined up to face New Zealand’s Fa in October in a bout that could propel the 22-year old onto the world stage.

A respected heavyweight contender, Fa is 19-1 with his only defeat coming via decision to Joseph Parker earlier this year.

“If Junior Fa had won that fight he would have been the number two ranked heavyweight in the world with the IBF and the IBO, because that’s where Parker sits,” Lonergan said.

“Rocky Huni is massively keen on that particular fight, he’s wanted it for a long time, and it would be a massive step up for Justis but that would launch us internationally into the big time.

Fa took on Joseph Parker earlier this year. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.

“They (Fa’s camp) are keen as mustard for the fight, it’s just a case of reaching a deal. When you have two sides who are willing to do a deal, away you go.”

Smith, Fonua-Blake and Paulo will add tremendous star power and crossover appeal to the card and it could be the start of Taumalolo following a similar path to Gallen into the world of heavyweight boxing.

The Tongan superstar is one of rugby league’s greatest ever athletes and could make a fearsome sight in the ring.

“They’ve signed contracts for October before the Rugby League World Cup and we’ve got a whole lot more coming,” Lonergan said.

“I haven’t seen (Taumalolo) on the pads, but he’s signed a two-fight deal with us and we’ll make some assessments at the end of the first fight night.

Taumalolo is keen to follow in Gallen’s footsteps. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images.

“The Cheese, Brandon Smith, he’s a genius in the media and if it turns out he can fight he could probably make more money in fighting than he has in rugby league.

“I’ve got no doubt rugby league players up and down the country are seeing Gal and thinking ‘if he can make seven figures I can do that too’. Gal blazed a trail.”

Lonergan has pledged to put the health and safety of the NRL stars first, employing cutting-edge technology to ensure the risks of concussions are minimised.

“Peter V’landy’s came out this morning and said he doesn’t want footy players fighting after the hiding Gallen got the other day,” Lonergan said.

“I can understand his concerns around rugby league players boxing, but we engage world-leading technology that tells us if guys are concussed or not as opposed to what they’re doing.

“They’re in the world of yesteryear and need to come into the 21st century to find out if their guys are concussed or not.”